8th STSforum and 2nd Funding Agency Presidents’ Meeting in Kyoto
8th Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum
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This year’s STSforum (held from 2-4 October in Kyoto) reflected the consequences of the triple disaster in northeast Japan. DFG President Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner gave a speech during the plenary session on "Energy and Environment". He spoke on his experiences as a member of the ethics committee whose report contributed significantly to the German government’s decision to phase out nuclear power following the disaster at the Fukushima I nuclear plant. This decision and its background are also well known in Japan.
The next plenary session, on "Nuclear Safety und Future Development", involved a panel featuring only countries which continue to rely on nuclear power. This session addressed future developments in nuclear power, as well as safety and security issues. "Challenges and Solutions for Renewable Energies" was the topic of another session. Besides energy-related topics, challenges in health, food and population, as well as the role of information and communications technologies, formed part of this year’s agenda.
2nd Funding Agency Presidents’ Meeting
The Funding Agency Presidents’ Meeting initiated by the DFG and JST is an essential and useful yearly international event. Held within the framework of the STSforum, it provides international funding agencies with an excellent opportunity to discuss pressing issues in research funding.
This year’s meeting (on 3 October) was the second one, and was co-chaired by DFG President Professor Kleiner and Professor Mamine (Executive Director, JST). Representatives of 19 funding agencies from Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Finland, Germany, Korea, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA participated.
Fundamental aspects of research funding, as well as options for establishing funding instruments to support researchers in cases of catastrophe or emergencies, were discussed. The DFG, JST, NSF and other organisations reported on measures undertaken jointly by the scientific community to support Japanese researchers after 11 March.
The second part of the meeting focused on the challenges and opportunities involved in funding high-risk projects with great potential for innovation. The DFG and NSF presented real-world examples.
DFG President Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner speaks in front of representatives of funding agencies
